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OR THE LANGUAGE OF A CHURCH CLOCK. 




( Ih-e QiiTstLBrL Temp < 



TI TheSm 



j ~WL TJieTtiaciple of Grace. 

I 3X ...The Tfcuiajjle oE "vurtoi}-. 

X- !- I^orticvilar Ihrlies . 



IK . 



...The TLaak. c^cA . 



XmTorkTubhJiediyJilBILRrvr, 



THE 



TONGUE OF TIME. 



^Httptg* of a dDJprrrjf Clark. 



WILLIAM HARRISON, A.M., 

CHAPLAIN TO H. E. H. THE DITKE OF CAMBRIDGE ; INCUMBENT OF ST. 
MICHAEL'S, PLMLICO, &C, &C. 



jFrom tfje .Stitf) Hontum lititttom 




^ OF COfy 



NEW-YORK : 

ANSON D. R RANDOLPH, 683 BROADWAY. 




^ II. S. A. 



-S>M 



■^ oV 






\<& 



h 



JPrtface to % Jirst ffirttioti. 




[HE design of this little work was 
suggested to me, a short time ago, 
by hearing the clock strike at 
midnight. A thought arose in my mind, of 
the vast number of hours which slip by with- 
out notice, unless some circumstance, or busi- 
ness, or engagement, happen to impress a few 
more particularly upon our attention. It 
immediately occurred to me, that the connec- 
tion of some Scripture precept with each hour 
of the day, might not only lead the Christian 
to note more jealously the passing flight of 
Time, but would also as constantly remind 
him of its solemn and final object. 

For this purpose, I have selected a few por- 
tions of the Word of Grod, accommodating the 



PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. 

number of words in each portion to the num- 
ber of strokes in each hour ; besides arrang- 
ing, methodically, the various subjects, so as 
to give, in the whole, a short synopsis of 
Christian principles and duties. I have en- 
deavored, also, to carry throughout such a 
reference to the sufferings of our Lord and 
only Saviour, Jesus Christ, as will enable the 
reader to realize, in every division of time, a 
part of that cross which was borne for us ; 
and this is, in fact, the chief recommendation 
of the writing. 

So little, indeed, is the composition intended 
to engross the attention of the reader, or to 
draw it off from the simple text attached to 
each hour, that, could the design have been 
published alone, he would have been presented 
only with what now constitutes the frontis- 
piece. It will be seen that some of the pas- 
sages are separated from their immediate con- 
text, and that others have been accommodated 
to certain truths ; but I have only ventured 
upon the former, where the sense is still in 



PEEFACE TO THE FIEST EDITION. 

itself complete, and the real force of the pas- 
sage is evident ; and npon the latter, where, 
in addition to the real interpretation, I could 
introduce some wholesome thoughts in con- 
nection with them, without doing violence to 
the truth. 

I trust that the Christian will not despise 
this little attempt to assist and encourage 
him, even though it should tell him nothing 
new ; and if, after all, it should be found . to 
possess no more merit than the machinery 
whose language it is supposed to interpret, it 
will abundantly repay me, if it should prove 
half as useful. 



Jtafaa to tt)t 0*c oni Litton, 




j T is with much thankfulness that I 
send forth the Second Edition of 
this little work. From the very 
rapid sale of the first thousand, and the kind 
notices which it has received from various 
Eeviews and public journals, I cannot but 
augur that my design has been, to some ex- 
tent, realized ; and I trust I may express the 
hope that this little book is calculated to be 
useful in the great work of religious discipline, 
and that the mode in which the subject is 
handled is likely to arrest the attention of 
other than serious minds. I am glad, more- 
over, of this opportunity of correcting some 
inaccuracies which had escaped my observa- 
tion in the former sheets. And thus I dismiss 
the Second Edition, with the humble but 
earnest prayer that its pages may be blest to 
those that read, and to him that wrote them. 
Chkist's Hospital, 1843. 



JJrtfare to ttje &l)irtr (Krifton. 




P HE steady sale of another thousand, 
and the demand for a Third Edi- 
tion of the "Tongue of Time," 
within little more than a year, have strength- 
ened the highest ambition that I am desirous 
of entertaining, namely, that, through the 
blessing of Grod, I may not be without some 
use in my generation. The present success 
of this little book, moreover, confirms what 
I have always thought, that as in nature so 
in the moral world, the small streams and the 
road-side brooks act a very useful, though 
subordinate part, in refreshing their several 
localities. I may add, that I am abundantly 
thankful to be permitted to pour in my tri- 
fling contribution to the larger streams of in- 
struction, and to think that it may be received 
at last into the great and eternal ocean of 
truth. 
Christ's Hospital, 1844. 



Jntrobttctorg 2Urirrm. 




J E ADER ! You have often heard the 
clock strike. Have you ever 
thought upon its meaning ? Mono- 
tonous as its sounds may be to a careless ear, 
they have language. Not an hour but car- 
ries its lesson. Far-reaching in its scope, 
every stroke of that ponderous hammer sum- 
mons before you the three grand attributes of 
Time. From each tower and belfry, Time 
calls to you with solemn but benignant voice, 
as if unwilling that you should lose sight of 
your privileges. It speaks of itself ; it speaks 
also of you. It declares, " I was." I came 
to you, Christian, as a friend sent from a lov- 
ing hand, to be an instrument of good to your 
soul, and a promoter of its everlasting peace. 
Whatever you have done with me is past. If 
good, thank God; if evil, "be watchful, and 



INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. ix 

strengthen the things that remain" For, " I AM.'' 
As the plastic clay in the potter's hands, yon 
may monld and impress me as yon will. 1 
am come to bear the record "of works, and 
charity, and service, and faith, and patience." 
Oh, then, u give all diligence to make your call- 
ing and election sure." Use me well, and you 
will not, hereafter, blush at my report ; for 
" I shall be." Brief is the appointed term, 
but yet a little while I am with you. While, 
then, you look back to the past for experience, 
lay hold upon the present as a treasure, and 
look onward with the patient and steady eye 
of hope. Behold ! the Bridegroom cometh at 
an hour when you know not. Expect Him, 
and be ready ; your loins girded, and your 
lamp burning ; lest, after many a round of 
unheeded hours, you should be forced to cry, 
"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and 
we are not saved." 

Such, reader, is the meaning of that mea- 
sured sound, which, it may be, you daily hear 
proceeding from some sacred pile : and in- 



X INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. 

deed there is as much of truth as of fancy in 
the statement ; for Time is like a merchant's 
capital — ventured it must be, if we would 
live. If used with judgment and skill, pro- 
fitable indeed will be its harvest, repaying 
us, in proportion to our exertions, thirty, or 
sixty, or an hundred fold. And why not an 
hundred fold for us all? For Time is the 
universal talent, subjecting every man living 
to a charge and an accompt. Within its cir- 
cle all our other talents turn. They are the 
wheels within this great wheel, whose united 
movement causes it to revolve, for as they 
are duly exercised, Time is successfully em- 
ployed. Lastly, it is the entail of humanity, 
come down to us as our inalienable heritage ; 
and, as in the law of primogeniture, unen- 
cumbered with our father's debts. God grant, 
reader, that you and I may prove such wise 
occupants and inheritors of this invaluable 
property, that, whatever may be the passing 
anxieties of its tenure, we may realize its 
profits in the kingdom of Heaven ! 



THE TONGUE OF TIME. 



ONE O'CLOCK. 




' -WATCH." 

Marie iv. 6. 




THE UNIVERSAL COMMAND. 

HIS is a needful warning ! It is but 



once in the day that it greets our 
ears. Its next sound comes in the 
dead of night. Few comparatively are the 
ears that hear it then : some children of plea 



12 ONE O'CLOCK. 

sure at the fag end of their toil ; some soli- 
tary bending over the lettered page, or taxing 
his o'erwrought brain ; some anxious spirit 
watching by the curtains of sickness ; some 
restless body tossing upon a bed of pain. To 
these the single stroke of time, perchance, 
may come at night ; but to the rest of the 
world it speaks at noon- day, and, whether 
for these or them, alike needful is the warn- 
ing — " Watch." This is the time when the 
world is most busy, when the hive is stirred, 
and its inmates are bustling. The business 
of the day is in full operation. The nets of 
the adversary are spread far and wide, and, 
amid all this turmoil, Time lifts up his voice, 
and as he again commences his steady round, 
reminds thee, Christian, to WATCH. 

Christian ! thou art on duty. Eemember, 
therefore, that a soldier must not be of! his 
guard in the enemy's country. Every device 
that can be employed to distract thy attention 



THE UNIVEESAL COMMAND. 13 

will be used against thee. Covetousness 
opens before thee as a pitfall, (1 Tim. vi. 9.) 
Worldly cares are on thy right hand in am- 
buscade. False principles, like the light 
cavalry, hover on thy left. Self-interest of- 
fers his services as a treacherous guide to 
conduct thee. And, last of all, the world's 
maxims and frowns stand in deep column to 
resist thee. "But thou, Oman of God, fight 
the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, 
ivhereunto thou art also called" u Be sober and 
watch unto prayer.' 11 It may be, however, that 
this is an hour of relaxation to the reader ; 
when a short breathing is allowed him amid 
the exercise of the day. Still let the stroke 
of Time bring before him the same caution. 
Short, indeed, is the term of our service here, 
and, even while reading this page, the mo- 
ments of the hour are vanishing with noise' 
less steps. No time have we then for secu- 
rity. Security is the olive leaf upon the 
2 



14 ONE O'CLOCK. 

conqueror's brow. Does One o'Clock, then, 
bring to the reader a short remission of work, 
let him not put off his armor, but, like Ha- 
bakkuk, let him stand upon his watch, and 
set him upon the tower, and watch lest Grod 
should speak to him. Soft are the gales of 
the Spirit, and unheard their breathings by 
ears that are ever filled with the din of the 
world, or by hearts which are torn with dis- 
tractions. If we would discern the still, small 
voice, we must keep our hearts quiet, and 
listen. 

Christian! once more. It may be, thou 
shalt hear this hour when weary bodies are 
sleeping. Should this stroke attract thy 
attention, remember Jesus ! This was the 
hour of His passion. Then was it that the 
nearness of His approaching trial began to 
pierce His soul. Often had His spirit shrunk 
from contact with the sin around Him. More 
than once He was forced to look up to heaven 



THE UNIVERSAL COMMAND. 15 

and sigh. More than once He gave vent to 
His anguish of heart: "How long shall I he 
with you ? How long shall I suffer you V But 
now He was to bear the consequence of im- 
puted sin. He was to be accounted The Sin- 
ner : not as one of us, but worse than any 
single offender, for He was to bear the sin of 
many; and this, too, not in the sight of men 
only, as an execrated criminal, but in the sight 
of His august and holy Father, as the repre- 
sentative of a world of iniquity. This was 
the pang, that at this hour was commencing ; 
teaching us that there is no real punishment 
but the absence of (rod ; and that this in it- 
self is Hell. Then was it that He bade His 
friends " Watch." Oh 1 if vain thoughts or 
thoughts of sin molest thee, think upon Geth- 
semane. Carry thy heart to that garden where 
the crushed olive gave out its perfume, and 
He that made the peace of the world was 
wounded for thy transgressions. In this hour 



16 ONE O'CLOCK. 

He fell on the ground and prayed. If sleep 
be not near thine eyelids, do thou watch with 
Jesus and pray. 



TWO O'CLOCK. 




'FEAR god. 

1 Pet. ii. IT. 




GENERAL DUTIES. 

|HOET is the lesson to which the 
hour of Two calls our attention, and 
yet the Bible declares it to be the 
whole duty of man, and the summary of all 
instruction. And is it not so? Congregated 
as we are, upon one spot in the measureless 
ocean of space, and intertwined in the rela- 
tionship of being, by the identity of nature, 
2* 



18 TWO o'clock. 

feelings, habits, occupations, interests, we all 
stand alone and unattached in regard to God. 
Between us and Him there is no intervening 
power, nor second principle. As the planets 
together form one system, and jet are vitally 
influenced and governed by the sun, rolling 
together in wonderful harmony, but deriving 
all their benefits from that orb alone ; so we 
are held and sustained in our respective or- 
bits by the sole energy of God, while we are 
yet commingled in the various relations of life. 
From Him, indeed, life physical and spiritual 
directly proceed, insomuch that, as the Apos- 
tle expresses it, "In Him we live and move 
and have our oeingP Let the hour of Two, 
then, impress upon the reader this element of 
his immortality : " Fear God." And what is 
it to fear God ? It is not to be afraid of Him, 
though that sentiment may well be entertained 
towards One who can destroy both body and 
soul in Hell. And, indeed, Christian, if thy 



GENERAL DUTIES. 19 

heart be not cleansed from sin, it were well 
that thou shouldst fear Him thus. But it 
behooves the child of Grodto fear Him without 
terror, and dread Him without alarm. Chris- 
tian fear is the sacred awe of a creature in 
union with the fervent affection of a child ; 
for though there may be nothing of fear in 
love, jet is there a holy love in such a fear. 
In a word, it is the adoration of love. 

This is the first branch of general duty : 
the abstract of the first great commandment. 
All things flow from it that tend to wisdom, 
holiness, and life. We have learned nothing 
in the school of religion till we have learned 
it; and when we shall have arrived at the 
perfection of an archangel's purity, we can 
learn no more. 

And now, reader, noon is past already — ; 
but a few hours, and darkness shall close in 
the day. When, therefore, the Clock reminds 
thee of this hour, let it refresh thy resolve to 



20 TWO o'clock. 

cultivate this spirit. Oh ! it will save thee 
many a perplexity, and many an uncomfort- 
able reflection. It warns thee against of- 
fenses : u Stand in awe, and sin not'''' It buck- 
lers thee against the fear of man, as it fortified 
the three young Jews against the wrath of a 
Nebuchadnezzar, and kept the apostles calm 
in the face of the Sanhedrim. It brings 
thee, as it were, under the sensible inspection 
of the eye of God ; denuding all earthly ob- 
jects of their pretensions, and raising thee into 
communion with uncreated Intelligence, for 
" the secret of the Lord is with them that fear 
Him." It purges the heart, for u the fear of 
the Lord is clean." Who knows how oppor- 
tunely the hour of Two may come to thy soul ? 
Perhaps it shall be when thou art on the brink 
of some unjust transaction, or some unfair 
advantage ; perhaps when thou art angry, or 
heated with discussion, or tempted to forget 
thy spiritual associations and privileges ; or, 



GENEKAL DUTIES. 21 

it may be, when thy whole soul is concen 
trated in the issue of some gainful enterprise. 
Oh! if thou shouldst be reminded at that 
juncture to fear Grod, will it not be good foi 
thy neighbor's cause, and better for thine own 
soul? It was at this time that Jesus was 
hanging on the cross, in the last hour of His 
desertion. In this solitary abandonment He 
exhibited the penalty of sin — the abhorrence 
and displeasure of the God of Love, who, 
when He looked upon His only and well-be- 
loved Son as the representative of rebels, 
turned from Him for a while, and hid His face 
in clouds. Think on this, and it will make 
sin odious and dreadf ill ; and, while it puts 
thee on thy guard against surprises, will de- 
monstrate the value of a godly fear. 



THREE O'CLOCK. 




'HONOB ALL MEN. 

1 Pet. ii. 17. 




GENERAL DUTIES. 

^HE Epistles of St. Peter are not 
merely remarkable for the truths 
that they contain, but also for many 
touches of practical wisdom, which, while 
they indicate a great knowledge of human 
nature, are admirably adapted to the inter* 
course of society. There is a wholesome good 
sense in many of his precepts, which qualifies 



GENERAL DUTIES. 23 

them no less to form trie maimers and tastes 
of the gentleman, than to enlighten the con- 
science of the Christian. In short, they might, 
without derogation, be called the elements of 
good breeding. It is so important that reli- 
gion should carry the charm of courtesy and 
gentleness at least, to temper its indispensable 
faithfulness and zeal, that no man can be 
universally useful who wants them. There 
is too much of zeal without this chastening 
disposition, although none of us like to be 
roughly handled, since we receive even re- 
buke with more readiness, when it comes with 
a courteous manner and a gentle tone. But, 
besides this, there is a certain deference due 
to every man. Nothing strips any individual 
of this right but unwarrantable temper or 
aggression, of which no Christian would take a 
vindictive advantage. Personal feelings, in 
short, are sacred, and the peasant may have 
to complain of undue liberties, as well as the 



24 THEEE O'CLOCK. 

peer ; for we are all, in one way or another, 
sensitive plants, and feel the rnbs of unkind- 
ness, however little others may give us credit 
for the sensibility. We must be careful, how- 
ever, not to confound this, nor to allow our 
want of courage to take shelter under the fear 
of offense. Speak we often must, and that 
decidedly; offend we sometimes shall, and 
that deeply ; but the-cause must not be found 
in our bad manners. 

The hour of Three will enable the reader 
to apply to his own heart the provision which 
the Apostle makes against this defect ; for no 
Christian can be rude who remembers thus 
to u honor all men." Many persons so often 
mistake bluntness for candor, that this rule 
can never be too strongly impressed upon us. 
Thus, persons in authority, for example, or 
such as hold official or professional posts, not 
unfrequently have recourse even to rough- 
ness of manners, in order to get rid of the 



GENERAL DUTIES. 25 

inconvenient tax which inconsiderate people 
lay upon their time or attention. But is not 
this done at the expense of brotherly kind- 
ness ? No good feeling can ever be purchased 
by rudeness or neglect ; while much has been 
preserved, in spite of disadvantages, by civil- 
ity on the one side, and courtesy on the other. 
Nothing sets forth the sufficiency of religion, 
for the management of the ordinary business 
of life, more than such little touches as we 
meet with in the Bible, u Be pitiful, he courte- 
ous, HONOR ALL MEN." 

This last sentiment, indeed, is equivalent 
to the sum of the second table, and is a fit 
successor to the admonition of the foregoing 
hour. The two together include the total of 
human obligation. How much is contained 
in a little word ! In this respect Scripture 
may be likened to the eye, that holds in its 
tiny mirror more space than could be tra- 
versed in a thousand years. But the reader 



26 THEEE O'CLOCK. 

is, doubtless, occupied deeply at this hour. 
Possibly he is tired with the objections or 
thwarting interests of others. He has been 
for some hours at his employment, and is 
somewhat weary in mind. The adversary is 
glad of a weary moment, if he can but betray 
us even into a hasty expression. If such 
should be the reader's case, let this hour bring 
its accompanying exhortation to his mind — 
"honor all men." Three o'Clock is a 
point of time consecrated by the burst of a 
dying Saviour's anguish. It was at this sea- 
son that, in the yet lingering darkness, after 
He had been hanging in silent endurance for 
three hours, while the then speechless throng 
were still watching Him, He uttered those 
mysterious words, "Eloi! eloi ! lama sa- 
BACTHANI ?" This houris consecrated to love, 
therefore, as he himself tells us, "Greater love 
hath no man than this, that a man lay down his 
life for his friends." This was His love, the 



GENEKAL DUTIES. 27 

appointed rule and pattern for ours : "A new 
commandment I give unto you, that ye love one 
another: AS I HAVE loyed you, that ye also 
love one another." Was it not intended in this 
that we should submit to some inconve- 
niences, not to saj self-denials, in order to 
keep up the charter of the Gospel? Forbear- 
ance is only a part of the charge, though a 
very important one ; but we who are called 
upon, as it were, to wash the feet of our bre- 
thren, are reminded in that figurative action 
to pay them the outward tribute of love, as 
well as to learn the discipline of a meek spirit. 
In the intercourse of every-day life, many will 
be the occasions for the exercise of the prin- 
ciple of which we have been speaking. Let 
not the reader, then, be weary in well-doing ; 
nor let him suppose that gentleness and cour- 
teousness can ever be thrown away ; for if 
they should even fail to awaken a response in 
some ill-regulated heart, they will not be lost 



28 THREE O'CLOCK 

in their practical benefit to ourselves, their 
silent example to others, and their submission 
to Him whose will it is that we should l honor 

ALL MEN." 



FOUR O'CLOCK. 




BE CAREFUL FOR NOTHING. 

Philipp. iv. 6. 

THE CHRISTIAN'S TEMPER IN REGARD 
TO THIS LIFE. 

be diligent in our business, with- 
out being devoted to it; to have 
an enterprising spirit, and to be 
chastened withal in the pursuit of the object, 
is that happy reconciliation between this life 
and the next which is attained only by the 
favored few, but the key to which is to be 




30 FOUE o'clock. 

found in the foregoing precept. The natural 
man has ever been at a loss to understand 
this, and it is, perhaps, one of the last things 
that is perfectly learned by the Christian. 
But, in truth, this principle lies at the thresh- 
old of all our permanent peace, whether in 
temporal or spiritual matters. Heise it is, 
however, that we see one of the great contra- 
dictions of human nature. Our anxieties 
spring from the tacit sense of our own insuf- 
ficiency, and yet we depend upon ourselves 
because we are afraid to trust Him, whom, 
after all, we are obliged to recognize as the 
sole fountain and dispenser of all things. 
What a simple, but what a wonderful thing 
is Faith ! And yet, in most of us, the amount 
of it is incredibly small. There is something 
so all-conclusive and satisfactory in the ab- 
stract view of dependence . upon a supreme 
and loving Father, that it is only when we 
are required to put it into operation that we 



THE CHRISTIAN'S TEMPEE. 31 

detect the utter fallacy of imagination, and 
the desperate deadness of our own hearts. 
Little, however, as is to be said for the gene- 
ral appearance of faith, the Christian has his 
Jehovah-jireh. It were saying little, indeed, 
for the Gospel, if Abraham's conduct (Gen. 
xxii. 8-14) and David's feelings, expressed in 
the twenty-third Psalm, had not many imi- 
tators, or awakened no kindred sentiments in 
the Christian's breast. 

But the Clock is striking Four, and its tone 
comes somewhat softer to the fancy when 
associated with this language of encourage- 
ment — "Be caeeful for nothing." The 
day is waning, and its work is drawing to a 
close. The reader is, perhaps, on 'Change. 
He is one of that bustling throng whom the 
business of this world brings together for the 
space of a few minutes, from every country* 
on its surface. Amid those calculating heads 
and thoughtful faces, is all to be of this world 



32 FOUR o'clock. 

alone ? Would it be out of place for us to 
exchange words of another life while we are 
providing for this? Shall Christian men, 
even while buying and selling, proscribe all 
mention of the grand conclusion and winding 
up of these arrangements and accounts? 
Why, then, is the presence of divine things 
considered unfitting for such employment, 
and why cannot we appreciate the combina- 
tion ? The answer is simple : We are too 
careful ; we would be our own providers. 

But now, reader, let the hour that sum- 
mons thee to go on 'Change, not only remind 
thee to be " careful for nothing," but let 
it make that place thy Jehovah-jireh. While 
the hum of voices fills thine ears, and money 
is changing hands, and the shrewd speculator 
is at his figures ; while thou art about to 
make provision for a future day, lift up thine 
heart in faith, and say, "The Lord will pro- 
vide.'' 1 The thought of this will calm thy 



THE CHRISTIAN'S TEMPER. 33 

soul, and relieve thee of that unhealthy ex- 
citement which clogs the mind when we are 
too busy for this world. It may be, however, 
that the hour of Four shall one day fall upon 
the reader's ear amid the pressure of some 
trial, either of the adverse turn of his affairs, 
or of a calamitous loss. Will it not afford 
him some thoughts of childlike submission, 
and cheerful but dependent hope, to associate 
these comforting words of the Apostle with 
the hour ? What if things have gone wrong 
with thee? "Be careful for nothing." 
The Lord hath taken away, but the Lord 
gave. Why, then, be cast down ? The Lord 
has provided for thee hitherto : the Lord will 
provide for thee still. We have two instances 
recorded in the histories of Elijah and Elisha 
of the support of two widows in a time of 
dearth. The second case, however, ought 
forcibly to remind the Christian of the power 
of his Great Prophet. u Elisha said unto her^ 



64: four o'clock. 

What shall I do for thee? tell me." Jesus says 
to His petitioners — u Therefore take no thought, 
saying, What shall we eat; or, What shall we 
drink; or, Wherewithal shall we he clothed f 
Take no thought for the morrow, for the morrow 
shall take thought for the things of itself" If 
thou wouldst stand aloof from distrust, care 
would not darken thy doors. Little could 
the three kings in the wilderness of Edom 
calculate on seeing floods without rain, and 
the dry, parched country filled with water. 
But the Lord had His purposes ; and in His 
own time, when men would see His hand in 
the matter, He made the valley full of ditches. 
Do thou, therefore, trust Him ; and while the 
stroke of Four bids thee " be careful for 
nothing-," let this practical comfort take hold 
of thy heart : "Sufficient unto the day is the evil 
thereof." 



FIVE O'CLOCK. 




"THE lord is at hand. 

Philipp. iv. 7. 

COMFORT AND WARNING. 

jT was not, surely, without reason 
that our blessed Master, and the 
apostolical writers after him, so re- 
peatedly enforced upon Christians the pecu- 
liar expectancy of their condition as disciples. 
Every thing in the circumstances of the early 
Church appears to have given an additional 
representation of this feature ; and it is only 




36 FIVE o'clock. 

when the formal and external fabric has been 
settled, and the Gospel has enjoyed a long 
triumph, that the sense of so important a 
characteristic seems to have passed away. It 
is not, indeed, the general and popular con- 
dition of the Church to which allusion is here 
made, but the individual position of every 
believing Christian. Do we, then, sufficiently 
consider our present separation from the sight 
of Him, "whom not having seen we love" in 
the light of a privation — in such a light as 
that in which He himself put it: "The days 
will come when the bridegroom shall he taken 
away from them, and then shall they fast ." Was 
it not the intention of all this to hold up the 
distinction between the servant of the cross 
and the world ? Was it not to teach us to 
sit so loosely to all attractions here, that we 
might be ready, as it were, at a moment's 
notice, to go forth and meet the bridegroom, 
and that we might exhibit the power of a 



COMFORT AND WARNING. 37 

living faith, to the glory of the grace of God? 
But it is not the Master alone who has called 
off His followers from the engrossing pur- 
suits of the world. A similar intention seems 
to have influenced the Apostle, who admon- 
ished the Philippians to remember that "the 
Lord is at hand." 

The warning stands midway between two 
exhortations, to either or both of which its 
significant conclusion may extend. If referred 
to the former, it would act as a spur to self- 
denial, and encourage them to " let their mode- 
ration be known unto all men" If to the lat- 
ter, it would remind them that their Heavenly 
Father was aware of their necessities, and that 
they were, therefore, to "be careful for no- 
thing." The same principle is applicable to 
either result. The active habit of self-denial, 
and the passive submission of a thorough 
dependence upon Grod, may spring alike from 
the expectation that " the Lord is at hand." 



38 FIVE o'clock. 

Not unsuitable, therefore, is the apostolic 
caution to the hour of Five. Whether it 
comes in the early dawn, or at the closing of 
the day's work, when we are about to refresh 
our bodies with the day's meal, it greets us 
with equal appropriateness. "The Lord is 
at hand," both prophetically and actually. 
In the former case, He comes to reign and 
judge ; in the latter, He is nigh to overlook 
and provide. Is the Christian reader, then, 
reminded of this hour, when the morning's 
sun is opening its golden eye upon his hemi- 
sphere, and the gray mist is rolling away 
before its brightness ? Let him remember 
that the Sun of Eighteousness is at hand 
likewise. It is a solemn, peaceful hour. The 
world is not yet awake ; its energies and its 
vices are sleeping : and in such an hour the 
Lord may come. It will be a good com- 
mencement of the day, if the reader will oc- 
cupy himself in meditating upon this event : 



COMFORT AND WARNING. 39 

" ' My Lord is at hand.' How many are 
there that will expect Him ? One half the 
world will be asleep ; the other will be ab- 
sorbed in the day's work. Shall He find 
faith when He comes? "Will men believe 
His approach ? Are they looking for it ? ! 
my Saviour, let me have mine eye fixed in 
the direction of Thy royal highway. Let 
mine ear catch the distant tokens of Thy ap- 
proach. Ere Thy chariot of fire shall rush 
upon an unexpected world, let those that ex- 
pect Thee be ready and awake. And as, at 
Thy coming, houses and lands, honors and 
employments, will cease to us, let me only 
use them as a temporary charge, and remem- 
ber that the fashion of this world passeth 
away. Let me show my moderation to all 
men, and be careful for nothing." 

"At this hour Thou wast surrounded by a 
tumultuous rabble : no rest had come near 
thine eyelids. Faint and worn, heart-broken 



40 FIVE o'clock. 

and pierced with many sorrows, Thy weaiy 
frame was dragged before rulers for my sake. 
Oh ! let my heart go forth to Thee, and es- 
pouse Thy cross. At this hour, too, Thou 
hadst risen from the grave, and conquered 
the conqueror, for ' Thou wast up by break 
of day.' Oh ! let me rise in Thy strength, 
and shake off my sins, as Thou didst burst 
the wrappings of the cerecloth. Let me 
begin the day with Thee." 

But the hour of Five comes with almost 
universal notice in the other division of the 
day. Most of us are ceasing from our labors, 
or preparing to enjoy the day's meal, or re- 
freshing our minds with some relaxation. In 
this season, let the Christian consider that 
"The Lokd is at hand," to overlook and 
provide. If he be partaking of the creatures 
which God has given to us, let him remem- 
ber that they are purchased by the blood cf 
Christ, and sanctified by the Word of Gr< » 



COMFORT AND WARNING. 41 

and prayer. Let him associate the Lord's 
bounties with that sacrifice which hath made 
all things clean to our use. To the expectant 
believer the Lord presents himself at the 
board, and invites him as He invited the dis- 
ciples by the side of Galilee's waters : "Come 
and diner Here he is called to faith. " The 
Lord is at hand." u Let thy moderation, 
therefore, he hnownP "The Lord IS AT 
HAND." u Be careful, therefore, for nothing" 
It may be r however, that the reader is re- 
freshing his mind with some innocent gratifi- 
cation. Let the hour of Five, then, remind 
him that the Lord is overlooking his proceed- 
ings: "Thou compassest my path, and my lying 
down, and art acquainted with all my ways.'''' 
"Grod," said some one of old, "is a Great 
Eye." Beware then, Christian, of unbelief. 
If thou believest that Gk>d sees thee, thou 
canst not be mindful of His attributes, and 

sin. "Wherever thou art, it is the same : at 
4* 



42 five o'clock. 

thy table, or in the park, Grod seeth thee. 
Thy secret imaginations and purposes are as 
overt as thine open words and deeds. This is 
publicity of which thou needest not be afraid, 
if thine heart be right ; but, if deceitful, let it 
cleanse thee, for thou canst not shake it off. 
In all thy ways remember that " The Lord 
is AT hand." And that thou mayest be 
kept to this, consider and apply the Apostle's 
memento : "Some have entertained angels una- 
wares." "Was it not at this hour that two 
friends were walking homeward, conversing 
with a mournful interest about divine things 
and Him that had died near Jerusalem ? Was 
not this the hour when a Stranger joined 
them, and made their hearts burn as He 
opened to them the things that showed forth 
the Eedeemer of men ? Was not this the 
hour, in short, when Jesus talked by the way 
with two of His disciples ? Such an honor 
may be thine. Carry with thee such thoughts 



COMFORT AND WARNING. 43 

as they had, and it may be that the Lord 
shall manifest Himself, and so fill thee with 
His welcome presence, that thou shalt be 
kindled by its influence, and enjoy snch a 
refreshment of son! as will send thee on thy 
way rejoicing. 



SIX O'CLOCK. 




"why sleep ye? rise and pray." 

Luke xxii. 46. 

THE SUMMONS. 

HESE words were uttered at an 

earlier hour than this, at which time 
there was such an occasion for 
watchfulness as will never occur again. Their 
number, however, suits the hour of Six, and 
Six o'Clock is a fitting time for a man to 
rise and pray. Christian reader, it is a good 
thing for a man to begin his day with an act 




THE SUMMONS. 45 

of self-denial. Time has many depredators, 
but none so extensive as sleep. He, there- 
fore, that begins the day by curbing his self- 
indulgence, gives a fillip to his conscience, 
and braces his resolution to achieve another 
victory over self. There is no apology for 
abundance of sleep but a weak frame or a 
sick body ; and as little for a late hour. Use- 
less, indeed, would the divisions of time be, 
if that sun, which wakes all the rest of crea- 
tion, should fail to arouse the chief organ and 
mouthpiece of its daily praises — Man. Twice 
does David specifically mention this duty : 
u Awake up, psaltery and harp : I myself will 
awake early" And is it not becoming, when 
all creation is pouring forth its praise, man 
should lead the chorus ? Long ere this hour 
has arrived, the* birds have begun to pipe 
their thanksgiving. By this time the sweet- 
est, because the freshest, breath of the morn- 
ing is beginning to ascend. The sun has had 



46 six o'clock. 

power enough, to call out and combine those 
odors which are never, as then, so fragrant. 
Oh, it is the holiest hour ! so tranquil, that it 
invites to prayer! There is, as it were, a 
pause in the world's evil. Like one awaking, 
and not quite awake, it is not yet come to 
itself. Think, then, Christian, that at this 
hour there stands one by the curtains of thy ' 
bed, who gravely but gently admonishes 
thee, "Why sleepest thou? kise and 
pkay." Yes, this is a fitting couplet — Rise 
and pray. "Kise! for, at this hour, I wit- 
nessed my good confession before Pontius 
Pilate. I hid not my face from shame and 
spitting. I gave my back to the smiters, and 
my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair." 
" Peay ! lest ye enter into temptation? 

This is the time of a Christian's strength. 
It is the opportunity for getting a start of the 
world. An hour's communion with God at 
this season, often turns the scale of the day ; 



THE SUMMONS. 47 

for it is a matter of Christian experience, that 
the tone of a man's spirituality is very much 
affected by the nse he makes of it. If he uses 
it to this purpose, he gets on his way while 
the world is still asleep, and before it can 
come in with its business and distractions ; 
and it is his own fault if he cannot keep the 
heading during the rest of the day. Like 
one who has mingled in the best society, he 
cannot soon reconcile himself to low com- 
pany. There is also another advantage. The 
employment of this early hour imparts a sa- 
tisfaction to the mind, that affects it with a 
peculiar cheerfulness throughout the day. 
The fact is, that we have obtained a little con- 
quest over self-indulgence, and we are con- 
scious of it. Nor should this sentiment be 
undervalued. No emotion of the mind is 
more sustaining and healthy in its effects than 
cheerfulness. u For the joy of the Lord is your 
strength, 11 Neh. viii. 10. It not only makes 



48 six o'clock. 

us set about our duties with a good heart, 
therefore, but it is a feeling which, when it 
arises from a consciousness of successful ex- 
ertion, encourages us to fulfil them heartily, 
as to the Lord, and not unto men. The Scrip- 
ture, moreover, tells us, that Grod loves " a 
cheerful giver" from which we are to infer that 
He is more pleased with cheerfulness than 
constraint in His service, and that joy is, or 
ought to be, its constant companion. 

But we are reminded that Six o'Clock 
comes also at another portion of the day. 
This is a season that demands no less self- 
denial than the former, and more watchfulness, 
Indulgence, whether of body or mind, is usu 
ally connected with it. How needful is it, 
therefore, Christian reader, that the Saviour's 
warning should be allied to this hour : "Why 

SLEEP YE ? EISE JLND PRAY." It is not now 

of bodily slumber that thou art warned. Be- 
ware ]<**& thine heart should fall asleep ! The 



THE SUMMONS. 49 

social meal, the mirthful talk, the idle hour, 
or some other intended recreation, may lull 
thee into a foolish indulgence as much as thy 
bed. Eemember, therefore, that at this hour 
the lifeless body of thy Eedeemer was laid in 
its last earthly dwelling-place. Last ! should 
we say ? It was the only place that the Heir 
of all things had wherein to lay His head. 
Sorrowing and devoted hands had wrapped 
Him reverentially in fine linen, with as much 
haste as they could, and then laid Him, com- 
posed in decent order, in His new and lowly 
home. With such a thought in thy mind as 
the Clock tells this hour, let the Apostle's 
language stand on thy lips : "Therefore ive are 
buried with Him by baptism into death." Dead, 
yet alive! Asleep with Jesus, yet awake! 
Such is the paradox of the saint's condition. 
Dear reader, is such a condition thine ? Oh, 
then, let thine heart watch, lest thou shouldst 
be betrayed into sin. "When thy body, or thy 



50 six o'clock. 

fancy, is deriving entertainment from what is 
passing, see that there be nothing which can 
shut out the grand object of thy soul. What 
a power of thought lies in those little words : 
"To live is Christ /" Christ is the sum-total of 
a Christian's life. Every moment is Christ. 
Every subject is Christ. Every thought is 
Christ. Every design is Christ. Canst thou 
say as much? If not, "Rise feom thy 

LETHARGY AND PRAY." 



SEVEN O'CLOCK. 




"ASK! and it shall be given you. 

Matt. vii. 7. 

PRAYER. 

|KAYER is the panacea of trouble, 
necessities, desire; in short, of 
every thing which can affect the 
mind and soul of man. This is a comprehen- 
sive challenge, but the Apostle says, u Be care- 
ful FOR NOTHING-, but IN EVERY THING by 
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let 
your requests be made "known unto God" It is 




52 SEVEN O'CLOCK. 

in order that the reader may be enabled to 
realize the practical comfort of this advice, 
that Seven o'Clock is supposed to summon 
him to prayer with these encouraging words ! 
"Ask ! and it shall be given you." Let 
Seven o' Clock, then, be the reader's call to 
matins. If he rises at some time in the pre- 
vious hour, he will, probably, be enabled to 
enjoy an undisturbed season of devotion until 
Eight o'Clock. Less time must suit, if we 
cannot give it ; but then, our meditation upon 
the "Word, and our accompanying worship, 
must be sadly curtailed, and our souls will 
be proportionably deprived. Nor does any 
subsequent appropriation of time compensate 
for the loss of the morning's portion. "Whatever 
first fills the mind and heart, gives more or less 
tone to the thoughts of the day ; and it may 
be put generally to any Christian, whether 
he has not felt his degree of spirituality in 
the day affected in proportion to his enjoy- 



PRAYER. 53 

ment of the morning's devotion ; and whether 
the earl j prayer has not always predisposed 
him for more ? The language adapted to the 
foregoing hour may be so far applied to this, 
that it contains the exhortation to prayer. In 
this supposed address of Seven o'Clock, 
however, we have the essence of prayer it- 
self — a simple confidence — "ask!" Let us 
call it the essence of prayer, for so it is, be- 
cause it implies sincere faith, and sincere faith 
involves all the other grand requisites. Above 
all things, it involves abstinence from sin. 
Unmortifled sin, and dalliance with tempta- 
tion, make a mockery of prayer ; for a man 
cannot heartily invoke the grace of God who 
is not sincere in withstanding his own corrup- 
tion. Such prayer wants the eloquence of 
desire. The Apostle Paul comprehends, in 
a few words, all the requisites of right prayer : 
u Lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubt- 
ing" The first gives us holiness ; the se- 



54 SEVEN o'clock. 

Bond, charity ; the third, faith ; and prayer is 
20 prayer without them. The reader will 
judge from this, how necessary is that other 
caution of the Apostle, that we should "watch 
unto prayer;" for how is he sufficient for these 
things who cannot ascertain the present state 
of his own heart ? 

But, to return tc /he encouragement, con- 
sider what motives we have to pray ! "We 
have every thing to gain, and nothing to 
lose ; we have neither venture nor risk. On 
the other hand, we must pray, if we would be 
safe, for nothing of eternal weight will be 
granted without asking. But, besides this, 
prayer is the only method of keeping up our 
correspondence with Grod. "We are like chil- 
dren at a distance from home, and we must; 
write to our Parent. It is true that He can 
learn how we are going on, and what oui 
necessities are, without this; but He has a 
right to expect that we should ourselves ac- 



PEAYEK. 55 

quaint Him with, our circumstances. How 
foolish were it in a child to say: "I know 
that my father would allow me this, or give 
me that, if I would but write ; but, though I 
want it much, I do not feel inclined to take 
the trouble." And yet our dulness and dis- 
inclination to prayer are worse than the folly 
of the child. Dear reader, if such is your 
case, put away your childishness. The Apos- 
tle says : " When I became a man, I put away 
childish things" Do not act any longer as a 
silly child. If your Father's house is pre- 
cious in your sight, remember that you are 
now, as it were, under tutors and governors ; 
and that when you shall have been duly ex- 
ercised unto godliness and patience, you will 
be summoned home to dwell with Him. Ask, 
then, for all that is needful for your salvation, 
and it shall be given you. Ask, in submis- 
sion, for all that you desire, and if it be good, 
you shall have that also. What more can 



56 SEVEN o'clock. 

you want? Eest upon the simple promise 
of Christ : "Ask ! and it shall be given 
you." This includes every thing. The 
King's Son has volunteered to take charge 
of your petitions, however numerous or par- 
ticular, provided they be but attested by the 
seal of Faith. Without question, therefore, 
prayer is the most important habit of the 
Christian life. It commands every other 
habit, and, like a master-key, opens all the 
locks. It is also the greatest promoter of 
cheerfulness and vigor, and imparts such a 
liveliness to the spirits, that difficulties appear 
only half their size. Christian! be much 
with God. It is not the world that will make 
your face shine as that of Moses did: it is 
not the world that will place the Everlasting 
Arms underneath you. These are the re- 
wards of prayer ; and he who is most in it, 
and makes it to bear most universally upon 
his affairs of body and soul, realizes most of 



PKAYER. 57 

the blessing. To all this, only one caution 
more need be added. Faith implies Hope, 
and Hope, Patience ; for u if we hope for that 
we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." 
It were but ill manners in us to ask a great 
man for a precious gift, and not to wait for 
his answer. God is not sparing in his be- 
stowment of good ; and if Alexander gives 
as a king, surely Grod is not to be outdone by 
His creature, but will act up to his own cha- 
racter. We are not only to pray, therefore, 
but to expect; not only to expect, but to 
wait. Stay, then, dear reader, and hear the 
fate of your petition. If you have indited it 
by the help of the Spirit, sealed it with Faith, 
and delivered it to the Prince, you have the 
strongest possible ground of confidence. Af- 
ter this, you have nothing for it, but to wait ; 
and, truly, you have need of patience, that 
you may receive the promise, for "in due 
season we shall reap, if we faint not.'''' 



EIGHT O'CLOCK. 




"i AM THE VINE, YE ARE THE BRANCHES." 

John xv. 5. 

THE PRINCIPLE OF GRACE. 
T^_ _^T HEEE is a beautiful operation in 




floral gardening, called "budding," 
by "which a rose tree may be made 
to bear a vast number of roses of different 
forms and colors, which all derive their nour- 
ishment and life from one and the same 
stock. This is no inapt illustration of the 
Church's position and connection in regard to 






THE PRINCIPLE OF GRACE. 59 

the Saviour. Jesus Christ is the principle of 
our spiritual being ; a truth which He him- 
self expressed in those words, of which Eight 
o'Clock may serve to remind us. 

The reader is, at this hour, preparing for 
his daily employment : he will at once appre- 
ciate, then, the thought which this language 
suggests, namely, that all his strength for the 
ensuing day is derived from Jesus, and that 
it will only be retained so long as he con- 
tinues in Him. The Christian is a bud of this 
chief of flowers — a branch of this most pre- 
cious tree. This enables him to say, u I live: 
yet not I, hut Christ liveth in me." This is the 
foundation of the distinction between him 
and the world ; a distinction which he must 
ever carefully remember, and rigidly pre- 
serve. The broad, black feature of the world 
is opposition to Christ : opposition to His 
spirit, His forbearance, His gentleness, His 
holiness. Amid all this, the believer has to 



60 EIGHT O'CLOCK. 

walk ; and he must carry about with, him, as 
an amulet, the talismanic name of Christian ! 
Great and vile ; despised, yet honored name ! 
what magic is there in thy sound! Didst 
thou nerve the dying martyrs of old, the 
hoary head whose sand had almost run out, 
and the delicate flower that was just burst- 
ing into womanhood ? "Was it thy soothing- 
influence that deadened the anguish of the 
torture, and composed the quivering limbs? 
What deep meaning lies couched in thee? 
"A Christian !" And what is it to be a 
Christian ? Is it not to be baptized ? Is it 
not to be a member of a Church ? Is it not 
to use ordinances and forms? But what, 
then, is this angry spirit, this covetous heart, 
this sensual eye, this obdurate soul, this 
lover of pleasure and ease, to whom all these 
privileges yet belong? How shall we re- 
concile these things? Ask, reader, of the 
Word. That tells thee — "He is not a Jew 



THE PRINCIPLE OF GRACE. 61 

that is one outwardly." "They are not all Is- 
rael which are of Israel." To be Christ's 
servant, and yet not a Christian, is analogi- 
cally the same ; but to be the Christian is 
another matter. This is to be in Christ, 
and to have his spirit. And this is the ori- 
gin of all distinction between the branch 
and the world. All baptized beings are 
Christ's servants : the nobleman and the man 
of fashion, the idler and the time-killer, as 
well as the humbler passengers on life's 
highway. But the world has no part in 
Christ, for he has said of it — "If the world 
hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated 
you" This truth, and the difference that it 
expresses, were once witnessed by this very 
hour. About this time it was that the fate of 
thy Lord was decided. Around one whom 
false judgment had condemned, trooped a 
tumultuous throng. Of them many, but a 

short time before, had shouted Hosannas to 
6 



62 EIGHT O'CLOCK. 

the same solitary being, that were now yell- 
ing, with hoarse and furious voices, " Crucify 
him! crucify himP This was the world. 
These were the characters represented in the 
parable of the sower, under the images of 
the wayside, the rock, and the thorny 
ground. These had heard, commended, and 
even followed ; but the tide was turned, and 
so were they. Christian reader! it is amongst 
such that thou art walking now. Not that 
they are ruffians in appearance, or even in 
heart, but that they understand not the lan- 
guage of the apostle, u Joint heirs with Christ, 
if so be that we suffer with him, that we may also 
be glorified together;" so that, when the Truth 
comes home to their consciences, they are 
ready to join in the cry, u Crucify him P 1 That 
infuriated mob which closed around the Son 
of Man, contained persons as much alive to 
the agreeables of life, the pleasures of so- 
ciety, and the distinctions of rank, as any 



THE PRINCIPLE OF GRACE. 63 

amongst thy acquaintance. Bnt they were 
of the world, and therefore hated they the 
condemnation which the doctrines of the Son 
of God brought against their principles and 
life. Oh ! then, let this hour remind thee 
of the loftiness of thy privileges, the sanctity 
of thy associations, the detachment of thy 
calling ! When thou goest to thy business, 
quit thine house with this thought : "I am 
a Christian!" When thou meetest with low 
and carnal principles, quicken thy resolve 
against them by this appeal: "lam a Chris- 
tian!" When thy spirit is ruffled, and thy 
passions are beginning to stir, silence their 
rebellion with this remembrance of thy dig- 
nity : "I am a Christian!" When strong and 
sudden temptations assail thee, repel them 
with this indignant rebuke: "I am a Chris- 
tian!" This is to use thy baptism. This is 
to realize the effects of ordinances. If any 
reader should complain that he has not hi- 



64 EIGHT O'CLOCK 

therto realized these things, what is the stn ! o 
of his heart ? Is he looking to himself, or to 
his Lord ? Is he trusting to his own might 
in the comhat, or to the strength of Christ ? 
Does he think himself safe because he is bap- 
tized and called a Christian, or does he ex- 
pect safety only by being a fruitful branch 
of the Vine? Dear reader, the answer is 
simple: "The things which are not seen are 
eternal." " We walk by Faith, not by sight." Or- 
dinances lead to Christ, but the instrument 
of apprehension is Faith. A simple faith 
will reveal all this mystery, aad will make 
thee one with Christ. 

At this hour Jesus was on his road to Cal- 
vary ? Dost thou believe this ? Canst thou 
picture it by Faith, and supply the cause of 
his anguish in thine own sins ? Canst thou 
realize what followed as the ground of thy 
salvation ? This is Faith, if the consequence 
be Love ; for Love will make His sorrows 



THE PKINCIPLE OF GKACE. 65 

thine, and His will thy law. Between this 
hour and the next Pilate had, probably, writ- 
ten the inscription — "This is Jesus of Naza- 
reth, King of the Jeivs /" Let this thought 
encourage thee. Do thou take up the Eo- 
man's pen, and write upon thy head and 
heart the answer — "This is Jesus' disciple and 
subject /" and let the world see it. 



NINE O'CLOCK. 




"and they that a&e Christ's have crucified the flesh." 

Galat. v. 25. 

THE PRINCIPLE OF VICTORY. 
? EACE and victory are inseparable. 
This is the truth conveyed in the 
Apostle's words : "Ye are of God, 
little children, and have overcome them, "because 
greater is He that is in you, than he that is in 
the world. 11 By this hour the great machinery 
of the world has been set in motion — the 
appointed tasks are commenced — the corre- 







THE PRINCIPLE OF VICTORY. 67 

spondence of the day lias begun. Before, 
then, that thy head and heart are immersed 
in these cares, remember, Christian, the warn- 
ing of the Ninth hour. The principle of 
victory is the true sequel to that of grace ; 
for, if the latter is declared in the Saviour's 
own terms, "I am the vine, ye are the branch- 
es" the Apostle adds, "and they that are 
Christ's have crucified the flesh." The 
community of image between the vine and 
the branch is carried further than a spiritual 
intercourse. The resemblance of the disciple 
to the Master would fail in its most import- 
ant feature, if a certain amount of suffering 
were not virtually attached to his condition. 
Is not this the teaching of the Epistle to the 
Hebrews? "It became Him, for whom are all 
things, and by whom are all things, in bringing 
many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of 
their salvation perfect through sufferings; for 
both He that sanctifieth and they who are sane- 



68 NINE o'clock. 

tified are all of one. 1 ' 1 And then, again, it is 
said, " Consider Him that endured such contra- 
diction of sinners against Himself lest ye he 
wearied: ye have not resisted unto blood, striv- 
ing against sin." In all likelihood, it may not 
be the reader's call to " resist unto blood;" but, 
if he would be a disciple of Jesus Christ, he 
must " strive against sin ;" and this is the suf- 
fering by which he is conformed to the image 
of his Captain, because " they that aee 
Christ's have crucified the flesh." This 
is the instrumental principle of victory ; it is 
like a commanding position in a fortress, 
where all the approaches can be swept by its 
ordnance. So, from this citadel, the world 
and Satan are successfully and surely resisted 
It is not without reason, therefore, that tin 
Christian is urged to begin the conflict with 
himself and his own flesh. If the motions 
of sin are resisted, there will be no outbreaks ; 
and external temptations will have little sue- 



THE PRINCIPLE OF VICTORY. 69 

cess where they can make no lodgment. Let 
the thought of this chasten the reader's heart, 
as he is commencing the duties of the day. 
The scars of the old Eoman were his testimo- 
nials, and orders of merit : the mortification 
of the spirit, and the crucifixion of the flesh, 
are the insignia of the Christian's rank. The 
suffering is not all our own : we are partakers. 
How appropriate, then, is the alliance with 
the time ! — for this was the third hour of the 
Jewish day, and it brings before us the testi- 
mony of the Evangelist: "And it was the 
third hour, and^ they crucified him. 11 Can we 
not say with the Apostle, "God forbid that I 
should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, by ivhom the world is crucified unto me, 
and I unto the world?" Oh, let not this appli- 
cation to our own condition seem strange, 
for it is the evidence of a disciple : "They 
that are Chrises have crucified the flesh." Con- 
sider then, reader, lest thou shouldst be 



70 NINE O'CLOCK. 

wear j. At this time thou art enjoying all 
the comforts of life — thy daily food, thy rai- 
ment, thy home, and the hope of an inherit- 
ance among the saints. At this time thy Lord 
was nailed on a tree. Draw the contrast; 
calculate the exchange ; place thyself before 
that cross of wood whereon hangs the Sa- 
viour of the world ; arraign thine own heart, 
and ask whether of the two deserves that lot, 
thou or He ? Look at that attenuated form, 
whose bones may be told by the spectator; 
look at those gentle eyes, now troubled with 
anguish, near which, for nights and days, no 
sleep has come; look at those hands, that 
healed and blessed the sick and sad, and 
those feet, that carried mercy, now torn, and 
bruised, and swollen, by the iron that has 
pierced them. Look at that face, which was 
once so beautiful. Alas ! it is marred more 
than the sons of men, for the smiter has 
wounded it. Man! whosoever thou art, 



THE PRINCIPLE OF VICTORY. 71 

wouldst thou cherish the hand that slew thy 
parent, or the knife that drank the blood of 
thy child ? How canst thou foster the assas- 
sin that destroyed thy nearest and dearest 
friend? Was it the Jew that nailed Jesus 
to the cross? — was it the Eoman that sen- 
tenced him ? No : it was thy sin — it was 
thy corruption — it was thyself: else how 
could the Apostle say, that if men shall fall 
away after having been made partakers of 
the Holy Ghost, they " crucify to themselves 
the Son of God AFRESH, and put Him to an 
open shame?" Oh, Christian, think on this 
truth till thou hast realized it ! Let it pro- 
voke thee to choose spiritually what Peter 
welcomed to his body — crucifixion with 
Christ; or, as the English martyr, in the 
flame, condemned that unworthy hand which 
had shrunk from confessing Jesus, and held 
it forth to suffer first, so do thou sentence 
thy fleshly lusts and tempers, which have so 



72 NINE o'clock. 

oft denied thy Lord. Bitter it "may be — and 
who shall find the nails soft, or the cross a 
bed of repose? — but thon bearest but a part. 
It is with thee as it was on Calvary — the 
malefactors on either side, and Jesus in the 
midst; but He alone forsaken. Is it morn- 
ing, or is it eve, be thou found with Christ ; 
not with Christ a conqueror, nor Christ in 
glory, but with Christ crucified. Is this a 
thought too sad? "Will it put the viol out of 
tune, and turn the festive dance into a sinful 
revel? Can Calvary be an unfit place for 
the world's merriment ? Ah, Lord Jesus ! it 
is there that Thou, being lifted up, dost draw 
all men unto Thee I and, till Thou shalt call 
me thence, I have no other resting-place. 



TEN O'CLOCK. 




'LET TOUR SPEECH BE ATWAY WITH GRACE, SEASONED "WITH 
SALT." 

Coloss. iv. 6. 

PARTICULAR DUTIES. 

?T is a strong, and, at first sight, a 
perplexing statement, that by our 
words we shall either be justified 
or condemned. A little reflection, however, 
is only required, to make the truth of it 
luminous and distinct. There is nothing, in 
fact, by which a man displays the real bias 

and savor of his mind more than by his 

7 




74 TEX o'clock. 

words. The reason is simple. Language is 
but the index of thought, and this the Scrip- 
ture teaches us, when it asserts that "out of 
the abundance of the heart the mouth spedkethP 
What we speak, therefore, will declare the 
state of our mind, and the degree in which 
we are endeavoring constantly to walk with 
Christ. Nor does hypocrisy in our conver- 
sation affect the truth of the assertion. A 
hypocrite will be always condemned in his 
particular sin, and his words, therefore, will 
turn evidence against him, in the same way 
as those of the more direct and palpable sin- 
ner. The tone and taste of a man's habitual 
conversation are a fair criterion, then, of his 
character. It is not necessary, indeed, that 
religion should be the perpetual, although 
it might well form the staple, subject; nor 
yet that it should be unceremoniously dragged 
in, much less offensively paraded ; but there 
is a method of talking upon most subjects, 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. 75 

which, although disgusting when assumed, 
is no inconsiderable test of Christian grace. 
In short, devoutness is the salt that seasons 
a Christian's conversation. It is the harmo- 
ny of the combined graces of the Spirit, 
which, like a well-tuned and perfect chord in 
music, arises as the voice of many strings. 
It may be said, nevertheless, that there are 
many subjects of ordinary business and oc- 
cupation which preclude the exercise of this 
principle. But that is not true. There is a 
way of speaking which shows what is upper- 
most. The purchase of stock, or the ordering 
of a dinner, gives no room for spiritual 
thought; but when the thing is done, the 
subject is dismissed, and better things come 
in. This is devoutness. It is the natural 
turning of the thoughts to One who occupies 
the heart, just as the liberated bow springs 
back to its original shape. But this, after all, 
is only a small part of the intention of this 



76 TEN o'clock. 

remark. Men must converse, when they are 
met together, with no other object than the 
enjoyment of each other's society. This is 
the season, beyond all others, for the applica- 
tion of the Apostle's precept : and the mean- 
ing of it is this : that Christian edification 
should be the object of our conversation, 
and that we should be on our guard not to 
let it degenerate into frivolous, or exclusive- 
ly secular, talk; in a word, that it should 
not lose its devoutness. If, however, it be 
said that all places (the ball-room, for exam- 
ple) are not suitable for this, we can only 
reply, that the Apostle gives no exception, 
and we must not make one. On the con- 
trary, he is most exclusive, and says, "Let 

YOUR SPEECH BE AWAY WITH GRACE." 

"Whether this does not incidentally exhibit 
the incongruity of such revellings with the 
Christian character, we need not stop to in- 
quire. If we are not engaged in our business, 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. 77 

and our conversation is not necessarily occu- 
pied in discussing matters relative thereto, 
let it be seasoned with the salt of a heavenly 
mind. If a man is of a heavenly mind, it 
will peep out ; if he is not, it is only hypo- 
crisy to assume it. But to what a dilemma 
is he, in the latter case, reduced? To no 
other, we reply, than the rest of his life re- 
duces him; for a man's talk is, so far, a sort 
of thermometer, that tells us whether he is 
at blood-heat or at zero. Change of heart 
will effect, not only a change in life, but in 
talk also. 

But now, reader, the clock is striking Ten, 
and you are, probably, at work. The tongue 
is a little member, but it works an infinity 
of good or evil. Admitting that it does not 
positively manifest the character of a speaker, 
positively it denounces him. u If any man 
among you seem to he religious, and hridleth not 
his tongue, hut deceiveth his own heart, that 



78 TEN o'clock. 

mail's religion is vain.'''' This hour reminds 
us of the misuse of that little member, and 
shows us that the warning is not without 
cause. It reminds us of a time when a mul- 
titude of men were assembled before a cross. 
For one hour the suspended criminal had 
been enduring the anguish of his position in 
patient silence. Not one of that multitude 
could tell wherefore he hung there, and yet 
many of their number rejoiced to witness 
His sufferings. To all His pangs their jeers 
and mockings were added. Their tongues 
were exercised in sporting with His anguish : 
for this was the season of the power of dark- 
ness, triumphing over the Light of the world. 
But it reminds us, also, of another time, when 
another multitude was assembled, to witness 
another scene. Was it not at this hour that 
Peter stood forth, to make known the first 
fruits of a Saviour's death ? The crucifixion 
was an event still fresh in their minds. Fifty 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. 79 

days, save one, had elapsed since the report 
that He who was hanged on a tree was risen. 
It was an era of wonders. But ten days 
before, it had been asserted that the same 
being had visibly ascended into the Heavens ; 
and now twelve men stood forth, twelve Gra- 
lileans, the poor friends of the despised Naza- 
rene, and spake in every known language of 
the world. Do not these two pictures recall 
to our minds the Apostle's description of the 
powers of the tongue ? u Therewith bless we 
God, even the Father, and therewith curse we 
men, who are made after the similitude of God." 
Christian reader, out of the same mouth ought 
not diverse thoughts to pass. Every member 
of thy body is sacred, but, above all, thy 
tongue ! As the soldier receives his sword, 
and holds it for his sovereign's service alone, 
so the child of Grod appropriates the use of 
his tongue to the service of Christ. It is a 
profanation of its glory to make it the organ 



80 PARTICULAR DUTIES. 

of human passions and the other rebel au- 
thorities of sin. 

But now, after all that has been said, what 
can it profit a man to know it ? If it be hy- 
pocrisy in us to assume a virtue we have not, 
will it conduce to our welfare to be always talk- 
ing religiously f For this is the point. It is 
not talking of religion that is here held up as 
the sign of a devout mind, but talking reli- 
giously of topics innocently introduced in con- 
versation. May a man assume this tone of 
speaking without sin ? Will a cautious tongue 
convert him? Will any thing govern his 
tongue, or guide it with meekness, short of a 
change of affections ? Let all this be granted ; 
but, if the stroke of Ten, bringing this admo- 
nition to mind, teach the believer to watch his 
lips ; if it lead some careless one to question his 
condition ; if it account for the duty of a Chris- 
tian's circumspection in associating with world- 
ly people, or mixing in worldly conversation, 
what has been said will not be useless. 






ELEVEN O'CLOCK. 




*WALK IN WISDOM TOWARD THEM THAT ARE WITHOUT, 
REDEEMING THE TIME." 

Coloss. iv. 5. 

PARTICULAR DUTIES. 

f HE Grospel lias put all things in a 
new light, because it has brought 
them into new relations. In the 
first place, it has made man acquainted with 
the actual nature and number of his respon- 
sibilities. In the second place, it has both 
enlarged and defined his talents. Nothing 
proves this more than the one article of 




82 ELEVEN O'CLOCK. 

Time, the whole importance of which is sus 
pended upon the truth of the immortality of 
man. To the Christian, then, Time stands 
altogether in a new light, and is encompassed 
with fresh demands : for it is the appointed 
orbit of human sanctification. Filled it must 
be by something, and the Christian is called 
upon to fill it with a holy service. We have 
nothing that expresses this sentiment more 
sweetly and forcibly than the language of 
our liturgical thanksgiving: — " Giving up our- 
selves to Thy service, and walking before Thee 
in holiness and righteousness all the days of 
our life." If any one thing can distinguish a 
Christian from the world more effectually 
than another, it is the use of this talent. So 
strongly does the Apostle see it, that he calls 

011 US to " WALK IN WISDOM TOWARDS THEM 
THAT ARE WITHOUT — REDEEMING THE TIME ;" 

as though the use of Time was the grand 
mark of distinction between God's servants 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. 83 

and the world. The force of his remark, in 
fact, lies in the connection of the two pre- 
cepts, the latter exhibiting to us the meaning 
of the former. The real expression of the 
Greek word is " purchasing away from," and 
conveys to us this thought, that it was a loss 
of Time to walk as those without were walk- 
ing. In other words, it might be thus under- 
stood — "Walk in sobriety as Christians be- 
fore the world about you, in order that they 
may see how elevated is your employment 
of Time above theirs. Let your course of 
life be distinct from theirs, for you have no 
Time to waste." And may not language like 
this be used to the modern Christian, as well 
as to the Colossian of old ? It is true that 
the distinction refers to the heathen world ; 
but, saving those flagitious enormities which 
heathenism fostered, it would not be hard to 
show that the Time of many professing Chris- 
tians is no better occupied. Surely the Gros- 



84 ELEVEN O'CLOCK. 

pel has an inner screen, a holy of holies, 
which draws a line between those without 
and those within ; not the shibboleth of a 
party, nor an outward profession, but the 
characters of a consistent life, and a holy 
employment of Time. Thus, two considera- 
tions are suggested in the exhortation of this 
hour ; one referring to our conduct in regard 
to those without, the other intimating what 
our own employment of Time should be. It 
is a great mistake to suppose that the Grospel 
neither makes nor requires distinctions; at 
least, its Author, in expressing its tendency 
to divide and sectionize the world, calls it a 
sword. If it be said that the Saviour's re- 
mark extends only to the distinctions of the 
Christian and heathen worlds, how is this to 
be proved? The Saviour stated a future 
fact, without qualification or limit ; and what 
is to be said for the experiences of life, and 
for such a state of things as the nominally 






PARTICULAR DUTIES. 85 

Christian world presents ? Are the distinc- 
tions of spirituality and holiness to be exclu- 
sively reserved till the day of public account ; 
and are the ministers of the Gospel to be 
silent in regard to the deeper and more con- 
clusive evidences of the Christian character, 
and not to push its requirements and separa- 
tions beyond a mere outward conformity and 
moral decency. But, in point of truth, the 
difficulty in question practically decides for 
itself. Men do make these distinctions. 
There is as little inclination on the part of a 
person of decided spirituality of tone, to amal- 
gamate with men of the world, however re- 
fined and worthy of human admiration, as if 
the prediction of the Saviour had referred 
exclusively to Christian society. It is these 
actual differences which enable the Christian 
to point out the conformity of experience 
with the marked divisions of the Bible. The 
question before us, then, is how the Chris- 



86 ELEVEN O'CLOCK. 

tian is to walk towards the world. The 
Apostle answers, " in wisdom." Tenderness, 
steadiness, and unyielding adherence to duty, 
and to one's principles, are the characteristics 
of this wisdom. But the Apostle appears to 
explain this by the subsequent expression, 
11 redeeming the time;" and on the observ- 
ance of this rests the broad line of separation 
between the Christian and the world. 

Let us suppose a worldly man to ask the 
question of a Christian, " How would you 
have me use my Time ?" The reply would 
at once be, "Use it in the service of God." 
If he should again ask, "How much of this 
talent is to be so specifically employed?" the 
reply would again be, "All." Both answers 
are strictly scriptural, and in unison with 
common sense. The Christian's use of Time 
is here set in contrast to that of the world, 
and this is the very substance of the contrast, 
that they are respectively different in the object 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. 87 

of service. The reader will not mistake this 
statement. It is not because every moment 
is chargeable on religions grounds, that all 
our employment is to consist of religious pur- 
suits, so called. The real distinction lies 
partly in the spirit in which our occupations 
are conducted, and partly in the character of 
those occupations themselves. Thus our 
worldly duties are one particular of service. 
We serve God when we diligently earn our 
bread ; and it is only when we are hankering 
after more than a sufficiency, that we are serv- 
ing ourselves. On the other hand, no Chris- 
tian lives without some specific work in hand 
for his Master. But there is a large mass of 
people who are released, by circumstances, 
from laboring for a livelihood. Men of in- 
dependent property, for example, and vast 
numbers of females, have really nothing to 
call forth their attention beyond a few domes- 
tic arrangements So far are such indivi- 



88 ELEVEN O'CLOCK. 

duals from being acquitted of all religious 
service, that they are the very persons who, 
by their freedom from the cares of business, 
are appointed by Grod for the prosecution 
of those works of charity and utility which 
give the true stamp of Christianity to this 
country. It is an honor to many a coronet, 
that it sparkles with the jewel of Christian 
devotion, and that the " pearl of great price" 
is found to consecrate the illustrious append- 
ages of nobility. But, now, to persons of 
the foregoing description, the question of 
the use of Time becomes very serious. Truly 
might it be said to them: "To you it is 
given, more than to others, to exhibit the 
spiritual capability and the dilating energies 
of the Gospel. You do not possess rank, 
influence, leisure, or money, in order that 
you may enjoy the excitement of the season 
in town, and the luxurious idleness of the 
country, by turns, but that you should mag- 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. 89 

nify your opportunities." Should the reader, 
then, be in possession of all or any of these 
responsibilities, let the hour of Eleven" re- 
mind him to redeem the Time. Objects of 
attention he may find in abundance. The 
charities of the great metropolis, (from 
which, as from a centre, radiates a flame 
that warms the world,) and the education 
of the poor in our own parishes, together 
with their temporal and spiritual improve- 
ment every where, present unlimited means 
of usefulness. There is a great pressure, at 
the present moment, however, from the im- 
pulse of the religious feelings of society, and 
many have undertaken charitable pursuits 
with as little of judgment as of real Christian 
principle. This demands the reader's watch- 
fulness, that he does not suffer himself to 
act in an ostentatious spirit, or in the mis- 
takes of fashionable charity ; for it is the 

unobtrusive and single-minded endeavor to 

8* 



90 ELEVEN O'CLOCK. 

do something for Christ, which serves Him, 
and occupies our Time. Well, then, Chris- 
tian, let this be the warning of the Eleventh 
hour : " Kedeem the Time." Wonderful is 
the instance that it recalls of diligence at the 
Eleventh hour ! "Wonderful and solitary 
the example of redeeming the Time ! About 
this hour it was, that the soul of a dying 
thief, as it fluttered upon the confines of 
eternity, saw, felt, and embraced the moment 
of the world's redemption. An opportunity 
of grace, single in the annals of Time, pre- 
sented itself ; it was seized and secured ; and 
he that had the faith to do it, is now reaping 
the reward. Whatever thy pursuit may be, 
when this hour vibrates upon thine ear, let 
it check thee with the self -inquiry, Am I 
walking in wisdom towards the world ? Am 
I redeeming the Time ? In what spirit am I 
working? What is the tendency of my pre- 
sent pursuit ? 



PARTICULAR DUTIES. 91 

Let lis not forget, however, that this is an 
hour consecrated to worship. The notes that 
each belfry in the land sets forth, convey 
something more to our ears — not merely a 
caution, but an invitation, and yet such an 
invitation as may well chime in with the sup- 
posed language of Eleven o'Clock, "Kedeem 
the Time." Yes, like the opportunity of the 
dying thief, this may be the Eleventh hour 
to some soul, and a season propitious in 
grace. Does not the cheerful tone of that 
last bell, which gives notice, as it were, that 
the good man, who is about to minister to 
you in holy things, is preparing for the com- 
ing service — does not that bell bid us come 
to the court of the great King with hope and 
joy? Does it not seem to say, " To-day! if 
ye will hear" redeem the Time? Or is it at 
night, when we are retiring to rest, that we 
are attracted by the admonitory voice of this 
hour, does it not summon us to self-examina- 



92 ELEVEN O'CLOCK. 

tion ? Or are we in the society of friends, 
with whom we are just parting, after a few 
hours' enjoyment? Can Time be redeemed 
more certainly than in the union of many 
hearts in prayer ? Where was Jesus at this 
hour ? "Was He on His face in Gethsemane ? 
Lord ! as Thou art, so let me be. 

1 Pet. ii. 11. 



TWELVE O'CLOCK. 




HAVE WE NO CONTINUING CITY, BUT WE SEEK ONE 
TO COME." 

xiii. 14. 



THE LOOK-OUT. 

) E ADER ! we have arrived at the 
last hour ; for though the divisions 
of Time travel in a circle, clocks 
will stop, and books must have an end. 
With the Twelfth hour, then, we will 
associate the touching but solemn image 
of the Apostle : " Here have we no 

CONTINUING CITY, BUT WE SEEK ONE TO 




94 TWELVE O'CLOCK. 

come." Amid the stir of noonday, or in 
the stillness of midnight, it will serve to re- 
mind us of our vocation and destiny. For 
this is, in so many words, the expression of 
the Christian condition. This world is a land 
of travel. To-day we pitch our tent ; to- 
morrow we strike it and depart ; so that, if 
we would journey in comfort, we must have 
as few encumbrances as possible. We cannot 
sit down, and abide in any one of the plea- 
sant places which we find, for a tent is but a 
sorry habitation for a home, and we have 
nothing better than a tent for the present 
passage. "When, therefore, the reader hears 
the call of Twelve o'Clock, let him imagine 
that it tells him, " Thou hast no home here." 
Let it remind him to be on the look-out. 
Alas ! we have need of this ! Let us lay aside 
our figure, and grapple with some of the 
obstacles which we find in the way of our 
embracing the familiar realities of the Chris- 



THE LOOK-OUT. 95 

tian pilgrimage. Who would suppose that 
the world around us is doomed ? Who would 
think that many who talk of the Christian's 
prospects, and the hope of glory, the uncer- 
tainty of riches, and the certainty of death, 
believed their own words ? What is the pic- 
ture that greets our eyes on every side ? Here 
is one intent upon the comforts of life. He 
is what the world calls " comfortably settled." 
He is on good terms with his neighbors ; has 
an agreeable family ; is very much respected, 
and wants nothing. But u he has settled on Ms 
lees" His sole object is to pass peaceably 
through life, neither aiming at great things, 
nor exposing himself to the shafts of malig- 
nity, nor stirring himself for the truth. His 
heart is not set upon the future. Can this 
be a pilgrim ? 

Here is another of a different turn. Active 
and restless, he is bent upon great things. In 
business he is for pushing his way by bold 



96 TWELVE O'CLOCK. 

enterprise. In a profession, he is for rising 
to eminence. Money he regards only as a 
means to an end ; but he must have money 
in order to be great. But is this the great- 
ness of the city to come? Can this be a 
pilgrim ? 

Here, again, is a third, differing from both. 
This is a man of science. Tasteful and re- 
fined, he can appreciate deeply all that relates 
to nature, literature, and science. Pursuits 
of this character fill up his time. Not that 
he disregards religion. This has its place, 
and a certain amount of attention, but intel- 
lect, not Christ, engrosses the chief portion of 
his time and thought. Can this be a pilgrim ? 

A fourth character is a female, sensible and 
well informed, methodical in her habits, and 
a judicious manager of her family : but she 
aims at a good position in society ; she studies 
the proprieties and fashions of life ; she seeks 
good alliances for her children, and counts 



THE LOOK-OUT. 97 

herself Happy if she succeed in her plans. 
Can this, too, be one who neither has, nor 
seeks to have, a home in this world ? Can 
this be a pilgrim ? 

Turn now, reader, for a moment, to the 
occurrence which Twelve o'Clock brings to 
our remembrance. "And ivhen the sixth hour 
teas come, there was darkness over the whole 
'landP This is midnight for noonday ; but, 
out of that darkness, what light sprung forth 
to gladden the world ! Under this gloom, in 
which nature sought to hide the dreadful 
sacrifice from itself, was brought on the cli- 
max of the Saviour's agony. But, Chris- 
tian ! is there no connection between this and 
thee ? Is there nothing in this scene of horror 
to bear upon thy condition ? Mark the con- 
nection in which the light of Grod's ~V\Tord 
places it : — "Let us go forth, therefore, unto Him, 
without the camp, hearing his reproach : FOR 
HERE HAVE WE NO CONTINUING CITY, BUT 



98 . TWELVE O'CLOCK. 

we seek one to come." What a different 
picture is here ! — Jesus in darkness at noon- 
day : the world in all the glare of its enjoy- 
ments. These are the two objects offerod fer 
choice. Keader, it is incumbent upon you to 
choose ! Would you follow Jesus ? — You 
must go forth without the camp of this world 
Would you follow Jesus ? — You must bear 
his reproach. The hour of Twelve reminds 
you, seasonably, of this necessity, because it 
reminds you of your present lot and future 
prospects. You have no continuing city here, 
whether you will seek one to come, or not. 
You may heap up comforts, and carry off 
distinctions, and manage matters dexterously, 
and pass as agreeably through life as any 
time-killer could wish ; but, what then ? 
Fading powers, dimmed faculties, blunted 
tastes, failing health, the sick-bed, the death- 
struggle, are coming, and your pilgrimage is 
over. But, where are you ? You have gone 



THE LOOK-OUT. 99 

one way — Jesus has gone the other. You 
have kept with the world, and its camp ; 
Jesus has taken His body unto Himself, out 
of the camp, as he requested' — "Father, I will 
that they also whom Thou hast given me, he 
with me, where I am. 11 The Christian pilgrim- 
age is no fantasy, any more than the Gospel 
promises. The one is contingent upon the 
other. The promise makes the pilgrim. A 
city to come has been held up to the affec- 
tions and emulation of the world — a city that 
hath no need of sun, nor yet of moon, to 
shine in it; whose walls are of jasper, and 
foundations of precious stones laid by Grod ; 
whose gates are pearls, and streets of shining 
gold. In the midst of it is a pure river of 
water of life, clear as crystal ; and on either 
side the tree of life, whose fruit is yielded 
every month. This is the city set in contrast 
to the camp of this world, and this it is which 
makes the pilgrims. 



100 TWELVE O'CLOCK. 

Well, then, reader, to this thou art called. 
Twelve o'Clock bids thee be mindful of it. 
When thou hearest it strike, ask thyself — to 
what thou art looking, what thou art pur- 
suing, on what thou art set? Think of 
the darkness that spread over the world at 
this hour. Does it not teach thee that there 
is no light here? Imitate, then, the patience 
of the fire-worshipper, who watched, before 
the dawn of day, for the burst of its glory 
upon the horizon of the ocean. Amid the 
pressure of business, or the calls of ambition, 
or the enticements of pleasure ; amid all those 
perplexities or agreeables which make life 
either a trial or a pleasant passage, let not 
thine eye wander from the horizon of its 
ocean. Wait with patient expectation for the 
morning ; it will break at last, it will surely 
come, it will not tarry ; and then, Christian, 
while the world has been seeking to enliven 
its night by the paltry lamps of its officious 



THE LOOK-OUT. 101 

and miserable enjoyments, and while thou 
hast been contented to watch, in the twilight 
of thy hope, for the revelation of its glorious 
object, thine eye shall be suddenly entranced, 
and thine heart be filled with worship, as 
thou seest that great city of thy hopes, the 
holy Jerusalem, descending out of Heaven 
from Grod, and having his everlasting glory. 




Conclusion. 



^ND now, ere we quit the subject, let 
me address to the reader a parting 
word. In thus accompanying him 
through the circuit of the hours, it has been 
my wish to suggest to him some useful 
thoughts, that might tend to keep alive in 
his heart a feeling of devotion to his great 
calling. It is not that I have ventured so 
much to direct the appropriation of his time, 
as to show the importance of every part of it. 
The sum of all 'that I have said, therefore, 
amounts to this, that one hour is as precious 
as another. It is not the past, nor yet the 
future, that demands our attention, but the 
present moment; for everything that is valua- 
ble and dear is crowded into that little space ; 



CONCLUSION. 



103 



and, to use a thought of the great Fenelon, 
"Time is the only gift in which God has 
stinted us ; for He never intrusts us with a 
second moment till He has taken away the 
first, and never leaves us certain of a third." 
In saying farewell, therefore, and bidding him 
"God-speed" upon his pilgrimage, let me sa- 
lute him in the words of that eloquent, though 
silent monitor, the sun-dial of Lincoln's Inn— 



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